They are choosing to abstain from using artificial intelligence for environmental, ethical and personal reasons. Maybe they have a point, writes Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi
In terms of office work, the technology pretty much already exists to cause a change akin to the change that happened from pre-photocopier (so typing pools), only the odd phone line per office building, no fax, obviously no computers/email/internet/mobile phones era office work to the office work of today.
The energy use is unconscionable. The people currently owning the tech that runs large language models are awful, but it is possible for companies and individuals to run their own llm’s.
Anyway, the point is, would it be daft for anyone to insist on working in a typing pool in a 1950s office today? I get why people dislike ai. I am not really trying to defend it, I’m just saying that it really is a mistake for anyone to just try and ignore it.
In terms of office work, the technology pretty much already exists to cause a change akin to the change that happened from pre-photocopier (so typing pools), only the odd phone line per office building, no fax, obviously no computers/email/internet/mobile phones era office work to the office work of today.
The energy use is unconscionable. The people currently owning the tech that runs large language models are awful, but it is possible for companies and individuals to run their own llm’s.
Anyway, the point is, would it be daft for anyone to insist on working in a typing pool in a 1950s office today? I get why people dislike ai. I am not really trying to defend it, I’m just saying that it really is a mistake for anyone to just try and ignore it.